The EPA has stepped up efforts to assess and manage chemicals but could strengthen its approach, GAO has said.
The agency has made progress implementing its new approach to managing toxic chemicals under its existing Toxic Substances Control Act authority, particularly by increasing efforts to obtain chemical toxicity and exposure data and initiating chemical risk assessments, used in determining whether to take regulatory or other actions, according to GAO-13-249.
It said however that the results of EPA’s data collection activities, in most cases, have yet to be realized, and it may take several years before EPA obtains much of the data it is seeking.
The EPA has not pursued some opportunities to obtain chemical data that companies submit to foreign governments or to obtain data from chemical processors that prepare chemical substances after their manufacture for distribution in commerce.
GAO said it remains unclear whether EPA’s new approach to managing chemicals within its existing authorities will position the agency to achieve its goal of ensuring the safety of chemicals.
GAO called on the agency to develop strategies that address challenges impeding its ability to ensure chemical safety and identify the resources needed to so.
